Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal res ...

’s outdoor public art exhibition – Folkestone Artworks – is the UK’s largest urban outdoor contemporary art exhibition, consisting of 74 contemporary artworks by 46 artists in scenic locations around the town and its coastline. Artworks include those by

Lubaina Himid Lubaina Himid (born 1954) is a British artist and curator. She is a professor of contemporary art at the University of Central Lancashire.Tracey Emin Dame Tracey Karima Emin (; born 3 July 1963) is an English artist known for autobiographical and confessional artwork. She produces work in a variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, photography, Neon lighting, neon text ...

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

and

Antony Gormley Sir Antony Mark David Gormley (born 30 August 1950) is a British sculptor. His works include the ''Angel of the North'', a public sculpture in Gateshead in the north of England, commissioned in 1994 and erected in February 1998; ''Another Pl ...

. Folkestone Artworks is refreshed every three years, as permanent works commissioned for the

Folkestone Triennial The Creative Folkestone Triennial is an arts festival held every three years in Folkestone, Kent, England. Site-specific artworks are commissioned for what are often unusual locations around the town, a number of works remaining in place permane ...

are incorporated. Folkestone Artworks is maintained and cared for by Creative Folkestone on behalf of the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust. Commissioned artists and their artworks often respond directly to the town of Folkestone itself and with the specific site in mind, reflecting both the town and its community whilst also reflecting broader themes. Creative Folkestone’s CEO, Alastair Upton notes that the artists “''work with the grain of the history and the grain of the land to make something and people can come and read that but of course they’re artists so there is a universality"''. Notable artworks reflecting this ethos include Sol Calero’s Casa Anacaona, built by the artist working with members of the community as part of the Creative

2017.

Lubaina Himid Lubaina Himid (born 1954) is a British artist and curator. She is a professor of contemporary art at the University of Central Lancashire.Folkestone Triennial The Creative Folkestone Triennial is an arts festival held every three years in Folkestone, Kent, England. Site-specific artworks are commissioned for what are often unusual locations around the town, a number of works remaining in place permane ...

, 'The Plot' and England's Creative Coast. Some of the artworks are more of a personal nature, including

Tracey Emin Dame Tracey Karima Emin (; born 3 July 1963) is an English artist known for autobiographical and confessional artwork. She produces work in a variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, photography, Neon lighting, neon text ...

’s Baby Things - a seven-part collection of bronze sculptures, including a teddy bear that sits on a platform at Folkestone Central railway station.

Mark Wallinger Mark Wallinger (born 25 May 1959) is an English artist. Having previously been nominated for the Turner Prize in 1995, he won in 2007 for his installation '' State Britain''. His work ''Ecce Homo'' (1999–2000) was the first piece to occupy th ...

’s Folk Stones reflects a more universal theme, consisting of 19,240 numbered stones, the exact number of soldiers killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. A volunteer-led project, Online Placemaking, resulted in all 72 Artworks being geo-located on Google Maps for the first time in March 2021.

Artists and Artworks

References

{{Reflist Art exhibitions in the United Kingdom